I roll my lips between my teeth, wrestling back the urge to follow him out before he’s even left. “Well, I hope you enjoyed this.”

“I did.” He stands and gives me a drawn out once over, tracing his lower lip with his tongue. “My wolf, too.”

“Good,” I huff. “Because it won’t be happening again.”

His mouth curves and he dips his nose, inhaling with the faintest rumble of pleasure that makes my insides melt. Everything in me strains to lean into him, to tilt my head and give him my throat. My cheeks heat at the hooded look he pins me with before he sweeps his gaze at all the packmates in the dining hall.

“I’ll see you later.”

Caden leaves me standing at the head table with every eye in the room on me. The inside of my wrist tingles with the memory of his touch.

19CADEN

Liam nudges my boot beneath the desk from his guard position next to my chair. It’s the third time he’s done that since my office opened for this week’s hearing hour.

I tune back in to what Josine Merryweather’s come to complain about.

“And I just think it isn’t right. Not after all that trouble the Morgans brought for your father when he was such a great man. A capable and noble leader, didn’t deserve no challenges to question his right as our alpha.”

“Sorry—you’re looking for me to…?” My brow quirks.

“Well, do something about it, Alpha Blackburn.” She clicks her tongue. “Someone ought to check for sure if that girl wasn’t lying about feeling you were True Mates. My daughters both are much worthier matches.”

Liam coughs to cover his amusement because it seems all the dams have come out of the woodwork to play matchmaker to find me a mate. He stands at my side, along with others on security detail dotted around my office. The line stretches out the door and down the hall. Possibly out to the covered front porch.

These meetings are open to hear the concerns of the pack. Usually they’re an opportunity to bring their disagreements before me, like the elders that bicker over land disputes, applying for a chosen mate ceremony, or requesting a visit with other packs.

Today it’s been nothing but this, full of gossip. The first few days following the bonfire, there were only murmurings amongst the pack about what happened. Rejecting your fated mate isn’t common, though after the initial shock the pack spread it around that I was right to do it because I needed a strong mate.

Maybe it would’ve passed if I’d stuck to ignoring Avery. Or at least attempting to while I fought everything in me yearning for her. I’m not fighting the bond anymore. I want to show the pack I accept her, as a Morgan I’ve forgiven and as my mate.

The whispers returned in full force after this morning when she made her way through the dining hall to the head table. My lips twitch in satisfaction.

Avery smelled mine.

Last night in the clearing, and this morning. A message to every male of who she belongs to.

It’s the reason I was late getting back to the lodge before we started, lingering far longer than I usually do with a second and third helping just to spend another minute basking in her covered in my scent, sweet delectable honey mixed with my musk all over her.

Josine stares at me expectantly.

“I assure you, it’s true that we are fated.” I touch my sternum, anchored by the resonation in the bond. “There’s no way to fake this.”

She blinks in disbelief, growing desperate. “But you rejected her.”

I frown, rubbing the ache flaring behind my ribcage. “I did.”

“Are you going to accept her, then? It’s not right.”

“I plan to, yes. Do you have a problem with your alpha accepting my True Mate?”

She squirms at the flat look I level her with, dropping her gaze with a mutter and shaking her head.

“Good.” At my glance, Liam herds her out.

“Yes, okay,” he says to appease her when she holds him up at the door. “It’ll be noted. Next.”

Callie’s never going to let me hear the end of this. She’s been annoyed with me as it is, ever since I made the mistake of spitting in fate’s face, as she puts it. I’ve only seen her at meals in the last week when she deems to join me, and she’s spoken maybe three sentences to me in total. She avoids me around the lodge, sticking to her rooms.

I brace myself as another female strides in with her daughter in tow.

“Alpha, I’ve come to insist you consider my Terra.” She pushes her daughter until she’s right in front of my desk.

I nod dutifully. “Very well.”

Terra squeaks and lowers her gaze. Liam’s steadfast composure is close to cracking when the poor girl’s made to turn in a circle by her mother and recite some rehearsed babble about her loyalty to the Blackburns. Ford isn’t faring as well. He leans heavily on Gabe’s shoulder to hide his laughter in his mate’s shirt, drawing miffed leers from the older female.

I wave a hand, massaging the dull throb in my temple while they’re ushered out and another she-wolf strides in. Each time I inform them I’m not considering any other mate than Avery. The reactions are mixed, ranging from some surprised yet accepting to some who are openly aggressive, trying to make me change my mind with their bias. I berate myself for allowing my wrongly placed hatred to bleed into the pack, wanting to correct their opinion of her.

It continues on for the rest of the hour. Before long, my mind drifts to Avery again.

Holding her in my arms while she fell apart made it clear to me that I wanted to become her strength and take away every ounce of hardship I caused her. Being the cause of her pain wrecked me. It was like being burned alive from the inside out, the bond punishing me for hurting her.

I didn’t know what else to do last night other than start with an apology, but it doesn’t make me worthy of her forgiveness. Not yet.

It almost killed me not to kiss her. I nearly did when I was scenting her because her pheromones made me wild.

First I need to fix everything I’ve broken between us, including the bond I refused. I want to deserve her before I claim my mate.

My wolf appreciates it when we get under the sun and open sky to oversee the second day of enforcer tryouts. He’s grown antsy after being cooped up all morning in the lodge offices listening to criticisms of our mate, only quelled by me refuting every one of them and countering their judgment of Avery.

The nitty gritty of running the pack doesn’t hold his attention unless a show of dominance is needed. He’s much more interested in running circles around this year’s crop of hopefuls for one of the most coveted job assignments in the pack.

Out of all the rules I set, this is the area I’m strictest over. I don’t let just anyone join the roster of those who pledge to protect the pack. Everyone is welcome to apply, but only the best make it through.

I squint when I spot Lorne and my uncle watching from the pavilion outside the dining hall. Lorne hasn’t shown his face at tryouts after I wouldn’t accept him three years ago. He was pissed because he expected his name and our shared bloodline to carry him through, and that’s exactly why my gut told me not to let him join.

My cousin was clever enough to wait until my father wasn’t Alpha to try out, but also too hotheaded. He’s not the type I trust with the security of the pack.

I don’t like how any of them treat females, either. Especially the ones mated to them or living within Cormac’s compound. His timid mate scuttles around, cowering if any male so much as looks her way. Their daughters and Sylvie’s sisters Cormac’s farmed off in arranged matings to grow his brood never look happy, but I can barely get near any of them to confirm if they’re being mistreated.

Cormac wanted to be Alpha. It’s no secret, my father told me as much. He never challenged his brother to claim the pack, and Lorne hasn’t outright challenged me. I promised Dad I’d never lose a challenge if Cormac or his sons ever tried to take the pack. I’m ready for the day Lorne finally does so I can put an end to their rank chasing. Until one of them acts, all I can do is keep an eye on them.